School board to consider teacher contracts Tuesday

Published 4:00 pm, Sunday, March 27, 2011

School board trustees will consider Tuesday whether to authorize the superintendent to issue teacher contract renewals to all those who want to return for the 2011-2012 school year.

Superintendent Ryder Warren and school board President Jay Isaacs said Midland Independent School District plans to absorb state budget cuts through attrition, changes to programs and by finding efficiencies elsewhere in the district, not through layoffs.

"It's not just about teachers; it's about the whole staff, administrators and teachers. They are all part of our MISD family, and we don't want to be cutting people and creating unemployment in our community," Isaacs said. "We might reassign some people ... we've not laid anybody off."

David Garcia, assistant superintendent for financial services, said they're hoping to see 80 classroom positions vacated through attrition, as well as 40 to 50 non-instructional positions. Those target numbers are lower than what is typically seen at MISD, where an average of 100 to 125 teachers leave each year, Garcia said. However, he added, because of the state budget shortfall, they wanted to plan for a lower number this year.

Close to 80 teachers already have indicated they will retire or resign, Garcia said, and others still will have 45 days from the time their contracts are issued to make a decision.

School board members said they're confident they'll be able to move ahead with issuing contracts following Tuesday's 5:30 p.m. meeting.

"That was our goal all along that we would protect all the jobs in the classroom," trustee Karen Fullen said. "Our goal was to protect the classroom teacher."

Board Vice President Tommy Bishop said there certainly has been concern in the community because of news statewide that other districts are having to lay off people. But, he and other board members said, MISD has worked hard to put itself in a stable financial position and is confident it won't have to make moves others are taking.

"I know other districts are having to riff teachers, but I think the attrition and what we've had in years past will take care of it," Bishop said.

Teacher salaries account for more than $85.7 million, or 67 percent, of MISD's total salary budget this year, according to figures provided by Garcia.

Campus administration accounts for the next highest total with about $9.05 million or 7 percent of the salary budget.

Warren has said MISD stands to lose between $15 and $31 million in state funding during the coming biennium, according to budget drafts.

Still, he and Isaacs have said, by making other changes and possibly using part of MISD's fund balance, layoffs will not have to be part of the discussion this year.

Warren has proposed closing West and Bunche early childhood centers and moving those classrooms to other campuses, which could save around $1 million. He also has proposed cutting programs including Lead Your School, Academic Language and Smart Language, which would save about $1.2 million, and of reorganizing Carver Center.

He said additional budget proposals and cuts have been formulated but will be discussed with the board before being released.